High Five: Scorching Weather-Activated Campaigns

It hit 40°C (104 °F) for the first time ever in London in July; the causes and ramifications of which are a discussion for another (very urgent) time. Ice cream brand Magnum and LOLA MullenLowe Madrid reacted with a series of posters that took just 24 hours from idea to launch. Placed on bus shelters around London, the print ads demonstrate the repercussions of not eating your ice cream quickly enough in a much more luscious way than the sticky, messy reality of it dribbling all down your forearm. The posters were crafted by photographer Ed Sanca and illustrator Nicolas Germani. They are really quite beguiling. 

Extremely high temperatures aren’t just a danger for us in Europe - global warming’s effects can be felt in climates around the globe, such as in the Florida, where Coors Light has been helping communities. The beer brand collaborated with adam&eveDDB, DDB Chicago, Nord DDB CPH and production company HELO to help out Miami’s Knight Center community by painting white billboards onto their roofs. The rooftop lettering reflects 85% of sunlight and reduces surface temperature by 50°C. Local artist Andaluz designed the custom font and helped a team paint the billboards over the course of 10 days, hoping to reduce internal temperatures and reduce electricity bills for the residents too. 

The whole world has been experiencing weird and unseasonal weather - and it’s not just about heat waves. Down under, Australia has been experiencing violent storms and an unusually chilly winter. As Australians look to cosy up in the cold, agency Thinkerbell created a temperature activated promotion for Guinness. The optimum temperature to pour a pint of the black stuff is between 5 and 7°C - so when the thermometer hit the ideal level, drinkers were able to claim a free drink.

Heat waves two months in a row is certainly something the UK didn’t anticipate to experience this year. As the forecasts loomed over Brits with temperatures soaring to 40°C peaks in August, after the scorching heat in July, the UK’s chances of experiencing another heatwave jumped by ten times, according to the Met. At the beginning of this month, CPB London decided to drive attention to the dangers for rough sleepers during the extreme temperatures. Their water activated street installations, invisible to the eye without being splashed with water, illustrated a silhouette of a person laying on the ground, with the message ‘No Home. No Water.’ The campaign was developed in collaboration with the Single Homeless Project and urged people to follow their tips on how to help rough sleepers face the heat and donate.  

Although a little older, still a great response to the hot weather in terms of advertising. In 2018, fast food giant Burger King Kuwait partnered with SolSource to mark what was then the hottest day of the year in the country. Reaching a staggering 50°C (122° F) during a July heatwave, Burger King used none other than the sun, and a custom solar-powered device, to flame-grill their Whoppers. In a campaign aptly named ‘Sun Flame-Grilled Whopper’, the burger joint joked that it would continue to sell this specially cooked menu item whenever the heat reached this temperature. Since then, the country has exceeded the sweltering record, with the city of Jahra reaching a scorching 52.7°C in June of 2022.